Troublemaker - Lisa B. Kamps Page 0,27

back teeth together hard enough to shatter them then sucked in a deep breath and slowly released it. "Like I said, it's none of your business. And we're not shacking up."

"She's living with you."

"No, she's staying with me."

"Same thing. What's the issue? Maybe I can help."

I didn't bother to hide my gape of surprise, or my soft burst of laughter. "I'm pretty sure I don't need relationship advice from you, considering all the trouble you got into in Utica."

A flush deepened Tristan's cheeks. He bent over his stick, his dark gaze focused on wrapping it. "Don't believe everything you hear."

I started to remind him that he'd been caught in the act with the sister of one of his teammates—by his teammate, no less—but Nathan nudged me in the side and shook his head, silently telling me to let it go. Fine, I'd let it go. Didn't mean I had any intentions of taking dating advice from him.

I reached behind me and grabbed my shoulder pads then slid them into place. The clock on the wall said we had another fifteen minutes before we hit the ice for warm-ups. I figured Coach would be strutting in about ten minutes before that so I still had a few minutes to grill Nathan.

"Do you think Addy can manage to keep an eye on her until we get back tomorrow night?"

"Don't underestimate Addy. She's a hell of a lot shrewder than you'd think. Besides, Jacqui's with them."

That actually made me feel a little better because Jacqui was definitely a force to be reckoned with. Hell, I didn't think I'd have any luck standing up to her. "That woman scares me sometimes."

"You think?" Nathan reached up and absently touched the left side of his face. That had been where Jacqui had hauled off and clobbered him one, leaving him with a bruise for more than a few days.

"What's her story, anyway?"

"Don't know and don't want to know."

"Oh, come on. Don't tell you're not the least bit curious. You know as well as I do that—"

"She's Addy's best friend. As far as I'm concerned, that's all that matters." Nathan shrugged into his jersey then smoothed the front of it down. I didn't miss his grimace of disgust as his hand brushed over the huge logo emblazoned on the front.

"Fair enough." I grabbed my own jersey and pulled it on, wondering once more how the hell they'd ever been approved by the league. They were hideous—beyond hideous—and there was nothing I'd like more than to have a bonfire so we could toss every single one of them into the flames.

Maybe, once the season was over, we could do just that. Too damn bad we still had a long way to go before that time came.

I had just finished readjusting my pads when Coach Somers stormed in, followed by the rest of the coaching staff. As usual, he looked like he'd chewed up some glass and was ready to spit it out at us. He wasn't all bad, despite his bluster. I mean, he really was a good coach and he'd definitely come through for Nathan when Landry had tried to get rid of him. I wondered what he thought when he looked at us with those flat eyes. Did he wonder how he'd gotten saddled with such a motley crew of rejects? Did he view his position with the Bourdons as a punishment of some kind?

I wasn't sure I could blame him if he did, not when most everyone on the team felt the same way.

"Alright, listen up. I want to see some damn hustle out there tonight. Bridgeport is having trouble with their roster and their play has been showing it. There's no reason in hell we can't leave here tonight with one in the win column. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Coach."

He pinched the bridge of his nose then tilted his head back, like he was seeking guidance from the stained ceiling overhead. He blew out a deep breath then looked back at us, his gaze sweeping the room. "What was that?"

"Yes, Coach!" We shouted in unison, louder than the last time. That must have been what he was waiting for because he slapped one large hand against the clipboard then stepped to the side.

"Good. Now get the hell out there and kick some damn ass."

I was pretty sure it wasn't a request, just like I was pretty sure there'd be hell to pay if we didn't do exactly what he said.

Chapter Thirteen

Dylan

I opened the door to